Valencia’s Bryan Herta started his racing career at a little go-kart track in Riverside called Adams Motorsports Park. It is where he and Richie Hearn, an open-wheel racing veteran who competed in the Champ Car and IndyCar Series, raced when they were kids.

Herta, an accomplished open-wheel racer and winner of two IndyCar Series and two CART races, is making his son take the same steps. Colton Herta, a fifth-grader at Oak Hills Elementary School, will be racing in the Pro Kart South season opener at Adams Motorsports Park on Saturday.

The 10-year-old Colton Herta has bigger plans than the Pro Kart South, though. He won a SuperKarts USA pro tour national championship last year. Included in winning the championship was a scholarship to race for the Rok Cup world championship in Italy in October.

“The racing style’s a little bit different, but we’re ready for them,” Colton Herta said.

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His dad said racing in Italy will give his son a chance to test his skills against some of the best young drivers in the world.

“The best cars from all over the world will gather and they’ll crown a world champion,” said Bryan Herta, a Hart High graduate and owner of a two-car Firestone Indy Lights team, Bryan Herta Autosport.

The Rok Cup is a four-day event from Oct. 13-16. Bryan Herta said the type of go-kart his son will be racing in the Rok Cup is very popular in Europe. His son will be racing a slightly modified version of the go-kart he raced to the SuperKarts national championship.

“We’ll go over for two weeks for preparation and testing,” Bryan Herta said. “There’s a lot of other things he’ll have to get used to.”